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If leadership, at its most basic, consists of getting things done through others, then persuasion is one of the leader's essential tools. Many executives have assumed that this tool is beyond their grasp, available only to the charismatic and the eloquent. Over the past several decades, though, experimental psychologists have learned which methods reliably lead people to concede, comply, or change. Their research shows that persuasion is governed by several principles that can be taught and applied. The first principle is that people are more likely to follow someone who is similar to them than someone who is not. Wise managers, then, enlist peers to help make their cases. Second, people are more willing to cooperate with those who are not only like them but who like them, as well. So it's worth the time to uncover real similarities and offer genuine praise. Third, experiments confirm the intuitive truth that people tend to treat you the way you treat them. It's sound policy to do a favor before seeking one. Fourth, individuals are more likely to keep promises they make voluntarily and explicitly. The message for managers here is to get commitments in writing. Fifth, studies show that people really do defer to experts. So before they attempt to exert influence, executives should take pains to establish their own expertise and not assume that it's self-evident. Finally, people want more of a commodity when it's scarce; it follows, then, that exclusive information is more persuasive than widely available data. By mastering these principles--and, the author stresses, using them judiciously and ethically--executives can learn the elusive art of capturing an audience, swaying the undecided, and converting the opposition.

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To discover six behavioral science principles that can help influence others in the workplace.

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The ability to persuade others to contribute to your efforts is a key skill for managers, for team members--for anyone who wants to elevate the probability of success. Research by leading social scientist Robert Cialdini has found that persuasion works by appealing to certain deeply rooted human responses: liking, reciprocity, social proof, commitment and consistency, authority, and scarcity. In this edited interview with HBR's executive editor, Cialdini expands on the six principles of persuasion and how leaders can make effective, authentic use of them in everyday business situations. He also previews findings from new research on the ethics of influence and how dishonesty affects individuals and the organization.

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Cooperating groups tasked with a problem are better than even the group's best problem-solver functioning alone. Yet far too often a leader fails to ask for input from team members--or team members themselves relinquish problem-solving to the leader. In this article, psychologist Robert B. Cialdini, author of "Influence: Science and Practice," illustrates how such errors lead to bad choices, flawed solutions, and avoidable errors--and makes recommendations for staying on track to get the best results from your group.

This article is repurposed from the article "Perils of Being the Best and the Brightest," Reprint # C0404A, Harvard Management Communication Letter. It has been given a new reprint number.

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Suppose you are preparing for a potentially contentious meeting with someone with whom you've worked closely for years. It could be a fellow manager you want to convince to support an initiative, but whose position in the matter is different from yours. Or, it could be a long-term employee you're hoping will accept a new set of responsibilities that will take him away from his familiar, comfortable duties. Suppose, further, that you expect more than a little resistance. Is there anything you could say at the start of your meeting to reduce your coworker's reluctance to cooperate with you and your plan? There may well be a simple comment you could make that would incline your colleague to move willingly in your direction. To discover just what to say, we need to leave the workplace and examine another context in which conflicting interests must be carefully negotiated: the romantic relationship. Learn to persuade others to your point of view.

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What happens when leaders, even the smartest, cut themselves off from employees' insights? Far too often, a leader--who, by virtue of greater experience or wisdom or skill, is deemed the ablest problem solver in a group--fails to ask for input from team members. Equally dangerous, members of a team often relinquish problem-solving responsibilities to the leader and fail to provide her with important information for moving forward on a decision. The consequences of this vicious circle? Suboptimal solutions, bad choices, and critical errors that could have been avoided.

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Companies deploying dishonest tactics toward customers, suppliers, distributors, and others typically do so to increase short-term profits, and in that regard they might succeed. But the misconduct is likely to fuel social psychological processes within the organization that have the potential for ruinous fiscal outcomes, outweighing short-term gains. There are three types of consequences to organizational dishonesty: reputation degradation, (mis)matches between values of employees and the organization, and increased surveillance. These outcomes can lead to decreases in repeat business and job satisfaction--and increases in worker turnover, employee theft, and other hidden costs. These consequences will, like tumors, spread and eat progressively at the organization's health and vigor. They will also be difficult to identify through typical accounting methods and might lead to corrective efforts that overshoot the true causes of poor productivity and profitability. Without a thorough understanding of the three types of consequences, an organization could try to control one financial hemorrhage (for example, losses from employee theft) by creating another (namely, investments in increasingly expensive security systems).

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In a recent Brown University medical study on the factors that influence adolescents to take up cigarette smoking, researchers concluded that peer influence has the most dramatic influence. Among teens who had three friends who smoked, smoking increased by an astounding 2,400%. The study illustrates the potency of social proof--evidence from our environment on the "right" way to behave. Read about the factors that make all decision makers--not just teenagers--likely to follow the lead of others.

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This is an enhanced edition of the HBR reprint R0109D, originally published in September 2001. HBR OnPoint articles save you time by enhancing an original Harvard Business Review article with an overview that draws out the main points and an annotated bibliography that points you to related resources. This enables you to scan, absorb, and share the management insights with others.

If leadership, at its most basic, consists of getting things done through others, then persuasion is one of the leader's essential tools. Over the past several decades, experimental psychologists have learned which methods reliably lead people to concede, comply, or change. Their research shows that persuasion is governed by several principles that can be taught and applied. The first principle is that people are more likely to follow someone who is similar to them than someone who is not. Second, people are more willing to cooperate with those who are not only like them but who like them, as well. Third, experiments confirm the intuitive truth that people tend to treat you the way you treat them. Fourth, individuals are more likely to keep promises they make voluntarily and explicitly. Fifth, studies show that people really do defer to experts. Finally, people want more of a commodity when it's scarce; it follows, then, that exclusive information is more persuasive than widely available data.

learning objective:

To discover six behavioral science principles that can help influence others in the workplace.

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